Her hands folded together in her apron.
“She would never allow anyone to come near her. Would never believe she might be loved.”
Her mouth tightened faintly.
“She died alone. I always thought it a terrible waste.”
“I am sorry for your loss,” Fiona said gently.
“Oh, it was many years ago now, miss. But I think of her sometimes, when I hear the stories folk tell about the duke up at the castle.”
She glanced up again—quickly this time, but without discomfort.
“It does me good to see Your Grace abroad today. Among your tenants, I mean. It is… a better thing than the stories.”
“I am trying,” Christian said quietly.
“That is all any of us can do, Your Grace.”
She gave another small nod, returning to the practical matter at hand.
“You wished to have the fountain repaired, I believe? I shall send my husband up to the castle next week to look at it.”
Then, after a brief hesitation:
“And if Your Grace will forgive the liberty—do not let the stories drive you back indoors again. Not everyone gives such things credit.”
She dipped her head once more, as though conscious she had perhaps said more than was her place to say.
Christian stood very still for a moment.
“Thank you,” he said at last, quietly.
The woman gave a small shrug, already turning back toward her workbench.
“Plain sense, that’s all, Your Grace.”
Fiona inclined her head in return. “Good day.”
“Good day to you, miss. Your Grace.”
They stepped out of the smithy and for a few moments, Christian said nothing.
Fiona felt the change in him all the same. The rigid tension that had held his shoulders since their arrival in the village had eased, if only slightly.
Not gone—but loosened.
The hour stretched into two, and then nearly to three.
By the time they finally climbed back into the carriage, Fiona’s feet ached, and her arms were full of purchases.
Christian sat opposite her looking weary but somehow lighter.
“That was not as terrible as I had expected,” he admitted.
“High praise indeed.”
“I mean it.” He leaned forward slightly, his expression earnest. “It was difficult. There were moments when I wanted to run—to retreat behind my walls and never venture out again. But there were other moments when I felt almost… normal.”
